I just posted these thoughts elsewhere, so I thought I'd post them here, too.

As for approaching the end of the saga, I think my level of excitement is equal to last year's. I really want to find out what they've done, but I'm cautious about a few changes they might have made (I draw comfort from the fact that my worries last year turned out to be unfounded). From the sounds of it, it's outselling the other movies in the pre-purchase department. It will be interesting to see if that translates to greater box office success after it's released. I think that will depend on whether or not fans are happy with what they've done to the ending.

Tornado wrote:You know, I've been thinking about the ending, and I wonder if the battle will proceed in what looks like real time to us, and everyone will get killed, and then the camera will go back Alice who is 'showing' Aro what would have happened if they had fought. Then everyone thinks it's real and are horrified that everyone dies, but it turns out it's not really that way at all. Kind of like what they did on Dallas when Bobby Ewing came back. He's in the shower and the entire previous season was just a dream.

I don't think I'll like it if that's what they do, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did that.

My opinion too. A real battle is actually preferable to me, but only while it is playing out those few moments onscreen. Afterwards, not so much fun. This vision stuff is pretty hokey, but at least you don't end up with a bunch of dead characters.

I'll add one thought in support of the vision (and the canon) instead of the real. J.K. cheated a little with the Harry Potter ending. She had deaths, but she also showed us that they indisputably carry on in the afterlife, that death was not the ending. A vampire's afterlife is unknown, there are no guarantees. Death may be truly final in the TW world. This is likely at least one of the reasons why SM wanted to minimize character deaths. Deaths would cast a pall over the final scenes of the movie.

"It will take an amazing amount of control,” she mused. “More even than Carlisle has. He may be just strong enough…the only thing he’s not strong enough to do is stay away from her. That’s a lost cause.”

I think they will show a lot of people dying, including Edward and Bella, and we will have no indication, at that point, that it is not in real time. I think that's what Kristen meant when she said they 'twisted the knife'. The problem is, no Twilight fan will find it convincing, and we'll probably all be sitting there waiting for them to get back to real time, drumming our fingers on the arms of our chairs. It will certainly take a major effort to convince me playing it out like that is worth the time, if that's what they have decided to do.

Tornado, that is a very good point. Of course, at the point a Cullen gets offed (or Bella or Edward) we'll know for certain the whole thing is a vision. Will it still be exciting after that? I think my reaction will be the same as yours, "OK, when do we get back to the real world?".

Well, we'll see in another week what happens.

"It will take an amazing amount of control,” she mused. “More even than Carlisle has. He may be just strong enough…the only thing he’s not strong enough to do is stay away from her. That’s a lost cause.”

I totally agree. I've always thought that the Jacob-Nessie imprint would be incredibly difficult to portray...and it pulls from some serious Oedipal complexes that never go over well with the average populace.

You guys should check this documentary out if you have time. It talks all about our views of love and the psychology behind Twilight. It has definitely changed my perspective on the matter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0nfyePADKY